TWO young ice hockey players are begging not to be left out in the cold.

Harry and Stanley Hudson have been members of Murrayfield Junior Ice Hockey Club since they were four years old.

However, the Edinburgh ice rink has been shut throughout the coronavirus pandemic and the youngsters have had to train in Dundee and Fife.

There is no indication when the Capital rink could open its doors again, with mum Claire keen to see the Haddington youngsters get back on their home ice soon.

She said: “Ice hockey is an amazing sport, but sadly we need an ice rink.

“My kids can’t just go to the local park for a game, we need ice.

“My son puts it as, ‘who else can walk on water? It’s magic for them.

“Edinburgh is the Capital city of Scotland. Why is there not more being done to help local grassroot kids and adults play the game they love?

“This isn’t only affecting ice hockey, there are figure skaters and general skaters ranging from toddlers to 60-plus.”

Scotland is home to three ice hockey clubs playing in the Elite Ice Hockey League, the top flight of British ice hockey. The Glasgow Clan, Dundee Stars and Fife Flyers regularly welcome teams from throughout the UK.

Meanwhile, the Murrayfield Racers play in the Scottish National League.

However, coronavirus restrictions mean both competitions have been on hold for more than 12 months.

Haddington Primary School pupils Harry, nine, and Stanley, six, dream of becoming ice hockey players but have been left frustrated on the sidelines.

Claire said: “My dad and two brothers used to play ice hockey.

“I’ve grown up with it but my husband loves football and he was a goalkeeper.

“When Harry was two-and-a-half we had a voucher for Murrayfield and we went along to watch a game. Harry said, ‘I want to be an ice hockey player.’”

Since then, the youngster has learned to skate and has spent five years with the junior club, while Stanley was holding a hockey stick before he could walk.

Both of the youngsters are able to train at the Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy but, with coronavirus restrictions easing, adults are returning to the ice, which will see the youngsters unable to book a time slot and left homeless.

A notice on the Murrayfield Ice Rink website states the rink will be closed until further notice.

It reads: “Without the same level of financial support that has been granted to the arts and culture sector, we are now at a stage where essential measures are required to reduce costs to a minimum in order to protect the long-term future of the business.

“It is therefore, with regret, that ice facilities at Murrayfield will not be available for the foreseeable future.”